New diets, old problems! The consequences of iodine deficiency in the body

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A deficiency that harms infants’ brains is making a comeback. However, iodine deficiency is easily preventable.

Without iodine, the thyroid gland cannot produce the hormones necessary for proper body and brain development. The visible effects of iodine deficiency, such as neck swelling, are quite severe.

But the invisible effects are far worse. Iodine deficiency can cause a drop of up to 15 IQ points in individuals, according to The Economist.

Such problems were once widespread. A century ago, one in three schoolchildren in Michigan had noticeable neck swelling. In Britain, goiter (thyroid gland enlargement) was so common in some areas that terms like ‘Derbyshire neck’ were used to describe it.

Over time, iodine fortification in certain foods significantly reduced these issues. The number of countries with insufficient iodine levels dropped from 113 in 1990 to just 21 by 2020.

However, in wealthy nations, iodine levels are again declining among populations. In the U.S., where extensive data is collected, the average iodine concentration in adult urine fell from around 300 micrograms per liter in the 1970s to 116 micrograms in 2020—approaching the deficiency threshold of 100 micrograms per liter.

Pregnant women are among the most at risk, as they require higher iodine levels to maintain their own health and support fetal development.

One reason for declining iodine levels is changing dietary habits. Many people get their daily iodine from salt, which has been artificially iodized in the U.S. and parts of Europe for nearly a century.

However, iodization is not legally mandated everywhere, nor is it universally practiced. While table salt is often fortified with iodine, the salt used in processed foods typically is not. Additionally, trendy salts like Himalayan pink salt are often iodine-deficient.

The rise of vegan and environmentally friendly diets has also led to reduced consumption of fish and meat, both natural sources of iodine.

Dairy products, too, are a significant source of iodine, as dairy farmers often supplement livestock feed with iodine to keep animals healthy. For instance, in the U.K. and the U.S., one liter of milk contains more iodine than a teaspoon of iodized salt.

Other types of ready-made milk available in stores, which are becoming increasingly popular, lack iodine.

Governments can implement simple measures to address this issue. First, they need to identify the most commonly consumed food products by the poorest segments of the population and mandate iodine fortification for these items.

At the top of the list should be milk alternatives and salts used in processed foods. Iodized salt can also be added to bread, as is practiced in Australia and Denmark. Large food companies could seize the opportunity to improve public health before they are legally obligated to do so.

Iodine supplements could also be made widely available, especially for pregnant women. In the U.S., two out of five prenatal vitamins lack iodine. Moreover, public health messages about the importance of iodine should be made clearer. In regions where soil iodine levels are low, farmers should be encouraged to add iodine to animal feed.

Such interventions will yield benefits over time. Between 1993 and 2019, salt iodization programs are estimated to have prevented 720 million cases of iodine deficiency worldwide, leading to improvements in cognitive development and earning capacity. This translates into an economic benefit of $32 billion per year.

These measures would especially benefit poorer countries, where most of the 2 billion people suffering from iodine deficiency are believed to live.

Some people worry that advising the public to reduce salt intake while ensuring adequate iodine consumption might cause confusion. This underestimates the public’s intelligence. Others express concerns about the risks of excessive iodine consumption.

However, such risks can be avoided with careful planning. In any case, excessive iodine intake is less dangerous than a deficiency. For too long, the world has relied on luck to maintain populations consuming healthy levels of this life-enhancing mineral.

The fact that so many countries have managed without mandatory iodine fortification programs is a fortunate accident of public health. However, it would not take much for this success to turn into an unintended disaster.

CREATED by:

“KORÇA BOOM”

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